Humane hunting requires a system for killing prey quickly. Problems exist with current hunting devices, bows and arrows and projectiles such as bullets in that, in particular, the killing area of the arrow or projectile is difficult to expand without introducing detrimental side effects.
A “broadhead” is the sharpened implement mounted on the end of the shaft of an arrow that provides the penetrating and cutting mechanism of, typically, the chest cavity region of the targeted big game animal which results in the ethical and humane killing of the hunted animal. While broadheads are useful hunting tools, they would be even more useful if they could be accurately delivered to the desired area of the animal. Unfortunately, the evolution of the broadhead has provided no significant changes in design or shape other than those advantages and efficiencies derived from newer materials and better machining techniques for fixed blade broadheads. They remain rigid for “fixed bladed broadheads” and mechanically complex for “mechanical broadheads” which after deploying blades at impact then also remain rigid. With the advent and availability of improved materials, the bow for delivering the arrow has also improved considerably. Compound bows are much more efficient than traditional equipment and result in the capability to launch arrows at considerably higher velocities. Unfortunately, these higher velocities introduce significant aerodynamic problems in maintaining accurate arrow flight with a broadhead attached. This unwanted resultant inaccurate arrow flight has been termed “steering effect”. Prior art attempts to minimize this steering effect have taken two directions
Currently, one solution is to stay with the traditional two, three, four or more razor blades rigidly affixed to the ferrule or shaft. Here, attempts to minimize the steering effect on larger diameter cutting width broad heads have focused on reducing the surface area of fixed blades in two manners. First, the prior art blade's overall cutting width has been reduced to maintain as narrow an aerodynamic profile as possible. In this case the blades are swept back from the tip like wings on a fighter aircraft. Additionally, cut outs within the blade were implemented. Currently, minimum cutting widths of no less than seven-eights of an inch are permitted. Generally acceptable flight is achieved at these widths. However, the steering effect is exacerbated with increasing arrow velocities achieved with today's modern bows. Even a narrow blade width can cause trouble in achieving repeatable accurate arrow flights due to pressure exerted by the air, up drafts, down drafts or wind, as the arrow flies to its intended target.
A second prior art “solution” to eliminate the steering effect problem has been to create a mechanical broadhead that has its blades closed during flight. Upon contacting the intended target, these broadheads include some form of mechanism that causes the blades to pop open on impact thus exposing lethal cutting surfaces. With no flat surfaced blades exposed during flight, the steering effect is minimized since there are no pressure differences generated on exposed blade surfaces. Several disadvantages of these so-called “mechanical” broadheads exist such as, for example only, reduced penetration of the broadhead, structural weakness of the various broadhead elements, and inoperability at the critical moment of contact with the game animal. Additionally, much more kinetic energy is required to achieve equal penetration compared to fixed broadhead blades. Further, while the edges of the flat blade are sharp, the backside of the flat broadhead blades known in the art are dull and inhibit easy removal as the dull object is pulled out of the target/animal. That is, no consideration in design in the prior art has been given to providing lethal cutting efficiency when the projectile is moved in a reverse direction from that of its entry path.
In short, maintaining strength upon impact, having large cutting widths, achieving good penetration and maintaining accurate arrow flight are the desired characteristics of a hunting arrow tipped with a broadhead and/or any projectile used instead. Maintaining mechanical simplicity, narrow profile in flight and maximum cutting surface length while transiting the target animal and while maximizing efficient use of the magnitude of the stored kinetic energy within the broadhead tipped arrow shaft to humanely kill the targeted game animal are also desirable.
It is appropriate to note that Applicant has created a superior broadhead blade and air flow equalizer apparatus and method as set forth in his co-pending non-provisional application Ser. No. 10/745,389 and his two provisional application Nos. 60/628,263 and 60/646,238 each of which is incorporated herein by reference. In particular application Ser. No. 10/745,389 is a broadhead designed for use in hunting of big game birds and is not generally applicable for use in hunting big game animals. As a result, problems still exist in the art as set forth above for pursuing big game animals. As such there is a need in the art for an apparatus and method for use with structures such as arrows, projectiles and such that increases the area of impact without decreasing the important aspects of accuracy and maximum impact to the target. That is, there is a need for an broadhead arrow, for example only, with a wide impact area that maintains target tip like accuracy at any arrow velocity, that incorporates flexibility in transiting bone structures such as a rib cage in a game animal in a manner that significantly minimizes the amount of kinetic energy lost to penetration, that reduces lateral drag on the arrow shaft, that provides broad, lethal cutting surface exposure at all times. That is flexible to ensure compressed width cutting surface during hard bone structure penetration with minimal kinetic energy loss, yet which flexes back to maximum cutting width of soft tissue vital organs once the cutting surfaces transit past the harder chest cavity surfaces such as rib cage bones both during entry and exit of the chest cavity and that minimizes cutting width to again exit the ribbed chest cavity. Further, a need exists for an easy to attach and failure resistant broadhead that maximizes mechanical simplicity of design.